Annalynn: 9 Months

by Meghann on July 1, 2016

Happy 9 months, Annalynn!

Oh, how you continue to grow! I have absolutely no idea what your height or weight is (your 9 month check-up isn’t for a couple of more weeks), but you’re comfortable in 9-12 month clothes and we just moved you up into size 4 diapers.

Milestones

It’s been quite a month of developments!

First of all, you are officially on the move. You were on the verge of crawling for a while, creating your own up-and-down scoot to get you from point A to point B. Then one afternoon something just clicked and you were off on all fours. We haven’t been able to stop you since.

Now that you’re on the go, you have the freedom to pick where you get to go. It’s your first step towards independence and I’m always intrigued what direction you decide to go in. It always makes my heart happy when you crawl unprompted to my lap, but you’re also fascinated with anything having to do with Maddie (including her food bowl), things to pull up on, and toys that are bright and light up.

It’s also been great incentive to utilize the playroom a little more, since we can easily lock you in with a baby gate. We’ve also started the process of baby-proofing the house. All of the outlets are now covered and the cabinets are locked.

On top of crawling, you’re starting to pull up on everything. It didn’t take you long to go from being a little wobbly on puling yourself up on a low box, to pulling yourself up on a flat wall – no step needed. You’re still not really moving once you’re up, but I’m sure that won’t take long.

The concept of walking is starting to click with you. Instead of just standing when we hold you up by your hands, you’re now starting to put one foot in front of the other. I think we still have some time before you’re actually walking, but you’re definitely heading on the right path.

One of my favorite new developments is the fact you’re starting to reach up when we go to pick you up. You’re also reaching for mom or dad when someone else is holding you.

Finally, your first two teeth popped in this month! Now you have an adorable semi-toothy smile. Besides the excessive amount of drool (you’re currently going through two outfit changes a day at daycare!), you’ve handled the two teeth like a champ.

Eating

Girl, you love to eat. I receive daily comments from your teachers on how great of an eater you are. Apparently you smile and start to giggle whenever they put you in the highchair and continue to smile as you methodically shove food into your mouth. You’re the same way at home, and it continues to make your dad and I laugh.

Baby-led weaning is going really well. You’ve mastered the pincher grasp and we’ve started serving all of your food in bite-sized pieces. You love sweet potato, berries, meat, eggs, black beans, anything with cheese, asparagus, and pretty much everything we put in front of you. You’re not a huge fan of spicy food and prefer that your food is served cold, and not warmed.

On top of solids, you’re still drinking plenty of milk. I was told your milk consumption would slow down after you were consistently eating solids, but that is not the case at all. You love your milk and never turn down a feeding. If it’s been a while since I’ve seen you, it doesn’t matter if you just had a full meal of solids or a bottle, you will go directly for my chest and beg to nurse. I have to admit, it makes me very happy. I’m still pumping 3x a day and sending 4 bottles to daycare.

We introduced a little water to your routine this month. You were starting to get pretty fussy when you had bread, beans, and other dry items. The water has helped get the food down and turned you back into a happy eater. We’re still working on sippy cups. You’re okay with drinking through a regular straw (the spill-proof sippy cup straws, however, are terrible – seriously, what is the point of a straw that you go cross-eyed trying to get liquid out of?! ), but prefer drinking out of the side of a cup, like mom does.

Sleeping

I’ve learned baby sleep is two-steps forward and one-step back. Also, when they do sleep, don’t say a beep about it. The minute you do you’ve jinxed any forward progress you’ve made.

We finally lowered your crib earlier this month. It was really just in the nick of time, because a week or two later you started crawling and then pulling yourself up on the crib bars.

Let me tell you, the fact that you can pull yourself up makes putting you down for a nap much more interesting. Instead of napping, you prefer to have yourself a little party. We thought it was pretty cute the first time. After that? Meh. The cuteness wore off.

You slept through the night twice last month. It was a sleep miracle! Halleilujah!

Then we went out of town to visit baby James and all the good stuff went south. You really, really hate that pack ‘n’ play. I’m going to order a whole new mattress for it, hopefully that will help. I ended up crawling into the pack n play with you one night to see if that would help, and I totally get it. Even with the mattress cover that thing is hard as a rock. I wouldn’t want to sleep there either.

It took you a couple of nights to get back to waking up once a night. *knock on wood*let’s hope that trend towards good continues!

Miscellaneous

You’re not consistently talking yet, but your dad and I swear you’ve said “Dada” a couple of times. We’re still working on “Mama,” but otherwise it’s all “bababababa.” You’re actually quite the babbler.

You love to read. A current favorite is 1-2-3 Peas. It’s a very catchy read that I’ve pretty much memorized at this point.

You also love to sing. Singing a song remains the number one way to calm you down if you’re feeling fussy. The Itsy Bitsy Spider and our rendition of BINGO (we spell MADDIE instead of BINGO) is sung multiple times a day in our house.

Finally, you got a new cousin this month! You’re no longer the family baby and we couldn’t be more thrilled about it. You’re officially one of the “big kids.”

Mommy and Daddy love you so much, Annalynn. You are our shining star and being with you is the best part of our day.

Happy 9 months to her! It’s crazy how fast it goes isn’t it? I followed your entire journey on your blog and it really doesn’t seem like she could already be approaching a year old.Melissa @ melissakolbeck.com recently posted..Musings from My Head

She is absolutely adorable! It’s so funny how all babies develop so differently. My 15-month old is STILL in size 3 diapers and has been for what seems like forever, but got her first two teeth at 5 months!! She also just started walking just a few weeks ago, when some babies her age had been walking for months already! I just think it’s so fascinating how every baby has such a different timeline.

I absolutely love the Lollacup if you are in the market for a straw cup. It is easy to assemble and easy to get liquid out of, even smoothies. I actually ended up giving all our other straw cups away and ordering a Lollacup in every color 🙂

I was thinking the same thing! My baby started crawling at exactly 7 months and is now 9 months and starting to take steps. But she WILL NOT eat solids! Gags on everything and just has no interest at all. And don’t even ask about sleep 😉

You might try one of these cups, they’re like a normal cup but they have a protective cover so the kids don’t dump liquid all over themselves when they lift it up! It was great for my daughter who hated straw cups…http://www.munchkin.com/cups/spoutless-cups.html